Sex With The Ex
by Sixty Five Roses
Summary: A phone call, that's how it usually starts. She looks at the screen and licks her lips before sliding her finger over the screen in order to take the call. His name rolls sensually on her tongue, and she knows that he is expecting her. Pairing: Sharon/Husband, also Sharon/Andy pre-ship
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: **This story contains some kink (biting during sex) and mild descriptions of consensual rough sex.

**A/N: **I have been trying to write this is a different style than I usually do. I'd appreciate if you can share your opinion and criticism on it. Thanks in advance.

* * *

A phone call, that's how it usually starts. She looks at the screen and licks her lips before sliding her finger over the screen in order to take the call. His name rolls sensually on her tongue, and she knows that he is expecting her.

He has a loft in the Valley. She has the key. It was a deal they made a long time ago, when they found out that they can't fully ignore the still existing attraction between them. Still, it's been a while since the last time he called. She drives home, his voice echoing in her ears.

In the shower, she lets the steaming water flow down her shoulders, her back, her thighs and legs. She washes the day away from her skin, preparing for something which is not new but still so refreshing. She wears a low back burgundy lace and chiffon dress and golden high heels and inspects herself in the mirror. She grabs a golden clutch purse and throws her phone and car keys inside before she leaves the house.

She unlocks the door. It's still daylight outside. She prefers it this way. She likes to see what she's doing. His loft is quite big and barely has any walls. He likes to work in open space and probably likes to fuck in open space as well. It's easy to move around when there are no walls to limit one's movement. The kitchen, library and his study are all in the same room. The bedroom and shower are the only rooms that are separated by walls. Most of the light comes from the big window. It offers a great view too.

Under any other circumstances, this situation would probably feel cheap to her, but not with him. He leaves her satisfied, gives just as much as he takes.

He's sitting behind his desk, wearing a dark grey tailored suit. The jacket is hanging on the chair behind him. He looks different, his eyes are darker, his hair is salt and pepper, a little longer than it was the last time they saw each other. He has glasses now.

"Sharon, I'm glad to see you." He gets up and wraps his arms around her waist possessively, pulling her close to him. His lips capture hers, gently biting her.

"Cesar, how long has it been, a year?" Her voice is sultry, warm and engulfing. He doesn't answer. She knew he won't, but she doesn't need him to confirm; she remembers the exact date of their last meeting. He turns her around and pushes her down against the table, lifts her dress and then stops. They always play the first round by his rules. Afterwards she usually takes the lead. And he happens to like her ass. He likes to look at it, appreciate her from behind, clad in a pair of black Brazilian cut panties that barely cover her cheeks. He gropes one of the cheeks, squeezes it tightly and then he slaps it forcefully. She moans. No one would have ever guessed that this kind of thing turns her on, but that was one of the things she liked to keep hidden at work. Her sex life is private and has nothing to do with her work or the way she performs it. Cesar slaps the other cheek and then his fingers slide under the hem of her panties, pulling it down until they pool at her feet. His fingers are exploring her and she spreads her legs to give him a better access. Her feet are shaking a little bit. It isn't easy to stand on such high heels in this position, but she's up to the challenge and besides, it's a good exercise too. His hand climbs up her inner thigh. She feels her muscles contracting under his touch. He caresses her slowly, taking his time. He likes to drive her crazy like this. It makes him feel powerful and strong and she knows that she shouldn't demand that he would go faster. It makes her look weak and needy. She holds back her moans, trying to make him think his touch doesn't affect her. He will need to go further up in order to satisfy her, but he already knows how to read the little nuances her body makes and she can't restrain those, as much as she wants to. Finally, she feels him getting close. He slips one finger in between her folds, slowly letting it immerse in her hot and wet center before slowly sliding it into her. She moans. It's such a familiar feeling and her inner muscles gladly welcome an addition of another finger. She rocks against his hand and he bends down and places his mouth on her back. She loves this dress for its rich color and low cut back and apparently so does Cesar, because he doesn't need to strip it off her in order to kiss his way up her spine. His lips suck on the skin between her shoulder blades and his teeth bite into it with every intention of leaving a mark.

"How about a third finger?" he asks. On their last encounter the third finger caused her quite a lot of pain, but she has been too stressed back then, working in order to find the leak in the Major Crimes unit. She nods slowly. This time it will be okay. They've done it before and it's mostly been very pleasurable. He slides his finger into her gradually. Despite his great partiality towards wild and rough sex he does care about her. His thumb rubs her clit in small and soft circular motions. He knows it drives her nuts. She needs a much stronger pressure in order to come. But this touch is not supposed to bring her to a climax. It's just meant to tease her, arouse her and make her beg for more.

"Cesar," she cries out and he smiles against the skin of her back then sinks his teeth deeper into it, bruising it. She groans and he licks the spot he just bit, his tongue soothing the pain he knows she feels. He likes to cause her pain, because he knows that it releases all the feelings she never allows herself to express; all the hurt and disappointment, all the frustration, all the longings and loneliness. Loneliness is the worst for her, he knows. The pain externalizes it. If she cries she can always blame it on the physical pain. In a sense, he satisfies her emotional needs just as much as he does the sexual needs. He proceeds to create a line of bite marks along her spine and he can hear her choke a cry of pain. She bucks her hips against his hand and he presses his thumb down on her clit. She's quite submissive today, he notices. Some days she guides his hands and other days she just sends her own fingers down her core and finishes the job herself. But she seems calmer today, or maybe distracted. Although both options are not ideal for him, he would prefer the first over the latter. Sharon is rarely distracted during sex. Most people would never be able to even imagine that she is a very sexual creature. A distraction means that someone else is on her mind, that she came to his loft because he asked her to and not because she wanted to. He pushes the thought to the back of his mind and sends his free hand to the front of his pants, unzipping and pulling them down. He looks down at his member. He's hard enough to last for a while. He pulls the fingers out of her and she nearly collapses on the table.

She props herself on her elbows and arches her back, granting him a view of her private parts. There is no need for any further encouragement. He slides himself into her, a bit more forcefully than he normally would, but she doesn't complain. Now it's her who's touching herself while he is thrusting in and out of her. Each of them is engrossed in their own pleasure, not caring for the other until she lets out a scream from the depths of her throat and he feels her slick fluids flow against his cock. Her arms are barely able to support the weight of both of them, her joints are aching, but she bucks against him faster, trying to help him fall over the edge. He growls when he finally reaches his climax and he releases her. She turns to face him as she takes a seat on his desk, wrapping her legs around him and pulling him into a passionate kiss. It's her turn to be in control and she's not gonna pass it. She feels his hands sliding under the dress and pulling it over her head. She doesn't wear a bra because it tends to get in their way and they don't like it. The expensive dress is thrown to the floor and now she's sitting on his desk, fully naked, save for the golden heels which she keeps on for now.

"You look good for your age. Have you gone under the knife?" he likes to think he's smart and putting her down is one of his quirky turn ons.

"Have you been using Viagra to help you achieve that erection?" She retorts.

"How about doing something useful with that dirty mouth of yours?" He grabs her wrists and pulls her off his desk, quickly positions her on her knees in front of him. His cock is halfway erect and she looks up, straight into his eyes as she leans forwards and takes the it in her mouth. Her tongue circles the head, her lips sucking gently. She likes to tease him, especially now when he robbed her of her turn to control the sexual act. He places his hand at the back of her head, his fingers grabbing her hair. If he pushes her head forward she'll bite him and leave, he knows, but he can still urge her in other ways, such as pulling her hair and his hand is a reminder of it. Still, she takes her time licking his groin, her fingers fluttering up and down its length and tongue gliding from the base to the top and back. He climaxes quickly; she doesn't even have the chance to take him into her mouth fully before his fluids are on her tongue. He probably didn't take that Viagra after all, she thinks. She gently pulls away, letting the slimy liquid slide down her throat. She doesn't know why she even swallows; most women do not and he never insisted that she does. It doesn't taste or feel good, but for some reason it turns her on. Maybe it's because good Catholic girls are not supposed to be on their knees sucking men's cocks and she blushes at the thought. Leave the church and catholic guilt out of the bedroom, she reminds herself. It's always on those moments that her catholic upbringing pops into her head and she feels ashamed, even if it's momentarily. He pulls her up and looks into her eyes. He knows what she's thinking. "Stop this," he says. "I like you daring, not shy." She shrugs and he pushes her away violently. "Okay, be a fucking nun." He resents the church for reasons that are beyond Sharon's grasp.

"Be careful with what you wish for." She glares at him and he can't help himself. He has an addictive personality and he can't let go of her for too long. She is his weakness.

"The Jacuzzi?" he offers and she nods slowly. He laces his fingers with hers and they walk to the bedroom. Unlike the open space which contains the living room, kitchen and his workspace, the bedroom does not have a big glass window. Instead, it has a veranda with an amazing view that they can see from the hot tub. His shirt and tie come off as they make their way across the bedroom and so are her shoes. He offers her his hand and helps her into the warm water. "You're pretty today." He doesn't compliment her because he feels obligated to thank her for saving him from a lonely and boring evening. He does it because he likes the way her soft curls frame her face, the glint in her green eyes, the curves of her body. He's seen quite a few women and despite her age, she's the prettiest of them all. She blushes. Compliments always embarrass her and he grins. "So how have you been lately?" he asks as he leans back and lets the water calm his aching body.

"You mean the new position?" she asks.

"I mean your personal life. Have you been seeing anyone?"

"I've been too busy." Her eyes are staring into some random invisible spot in the air.

"Yes, I do have to admit that you're a little out of practice for someone who can't even remember the number of sex partners she's had in the past year, or their names, as a matter of fact." He teases her. He knows that she has a rich background with men, mostly ones who are much younger than her.

"Says the man whose only sex partners are hookers," she rejoins.

"Do you consider yourself one of them as well?" This question grants him with a slap across the face. There are many names he's allowed to call her, but a hooker or whore is definitely not among them. She finds it degrading and rude. "What about that lieutenant you told me about the last time? Have you slept with him?"

"He is a subordinate officer." She reminds him.

"Which would make it much more fun, don't you think?" Cesar would pay top dollar to watch her toss the rulebook out the window for once. And he wouldn't mind watching her having sex with another man either. In fact, he might even join in. He's been trying to convince her to take part in a threesome with another woman but she is yet to agree.

"That is never going to happen, Cesar," she fumes. He looks at her and a grin starts forming on his face. Making her angry turns him on and he's pretty sure she's not aware of it, which makes it even more of a turn on. He leans forward and captures her lips. His tongue explores the familiar territory of her mouth and dances along with her tongue. Their faces are so close that he can feel the flutter of her eyelashes on his cheek. He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her on top of his body. She straddles him and his lips leave hers, travelling down her neck, trailing down her collarbone and finding their way to her breast. His tongue circles one nipple as his fingers do the same for the other. She lets out a deep, throaty moan and he teases the nipple with the end of his tongue, extracting another moan out of her mouth. She wraps her arm around his head, pulling him closer as she feels his teeth lightly biting on her nipple and the flutter deep down in her stomach that becomes stronger and stronger until she lets it out in the form of a loud whimper. Her fingers pull at his hair and she feels his cock hardening against her thigh. She sends her hand down, but he grabs her wrist and moves it away. If she gives him a handjob he won't last long enough for another round and he knows it. He would definitely like to fuck her one more time before his member goes limp for the rest of the evening.

"You wanna get out of here?" He asks against his skin and she hums to confirm. They go out of the hot tub and walk back into the bedroom, water dripping off their skins onto the parquet floor. He doesn't mind it, because watching water drops roll off Sharon's bare back is way too sexy. The bite marks he left along her spin are slowly turning blue and he finds it quite sexy as well. He places both his arms on her hips and turns her around. She's facing him now and he smiles as he moves a thick strand of hair from her eyes, his finger playfully gliding on the end of nose. He loves the surprised expression that spreads across her face. Maybe it's because she's not used to it when he's being gentle. He leans forward and captures her lips for a brief kiss. His fingers dig into the skin of her hips as his mouth slowly descends to her collarbone, and passes through the valley between her breasts. His lips continue their journey downwards, making a short stop on her navel button. She's ticklish around this area and he can't resist the urge to hear her giggle. He enlists his tongue for the mission and without much effort manages to extract a long string of giggles out of her mouth. It's the kind of sound he finds himself missing every time she's not around. After satisfying his need to hear Sharon giggling, his lips travel further down. His hands gently push Sharon backwards until she sits on the edge of the bed and his lips can reach their destination. She situates one leg around his shoulders as his tongue teases her nub. She's quite close already but she knows he's going to torture her for a while before he really helps her climax. He hums against her core, and slides one finger into her. She leans back, propping herself on her elbows so she can see him working on her. She feels lucky that he goes down on her. She heard other woman complain that their partners won't go down there even if they were paid for it. She and Cesar never had that problem. He's been always willing to do whatever it took in order to satisfy her in bed.

"Oh, God," she feels the orgasm building up in the bottom of her stomach when he curves his finger inside her, rubbing that sensitive spot that she usually can't reach herself. His mouth goes into full action now – teeth, tongue and lips all work together in order to make her fall over the edge. She fists the sheets as she feels warmth filling her from the inside and flowing down her thighs. Cesar dips another finger into her and his lips torture her swollen clit until she feels another orgasm washing her over. Her moans and whimpers fill the room and her back arches away from the mattress. His lips kiss up her smooth mound and suck on the soft skin there. She reaches out for his hand and laces her fingers with his, gently pulling him on top of her and captures his lips. She wants him inside her now and he knows it. She needs to feel his warmth against her skin, his breath ghosting on her neck, his arms firm around her and he doesn't disappoint her. He penetrates her in a strong thrust and this time she's the one who guides the rhythm. She usually prefers it slow while he likes it fast. She finds a rhythm that's somewhere in the middle and he seems to be content with it. He hardens inside her with every thrust and she knows he's close. He used to be able to last for much longer until their last encounter and she prefers to think that it is due to his age and not the return of his drinking habits. He seems to be sober, but she can never be sure. Alcohol used to affect his performance in bed even when he was much younger and she hopes that he hasn't been revisiting his old habits after nearly two decades of sobriety. He growls into her mouth as she feels his liquids mixing with hers between her legs.

"Are you hungry?" he asks. Her breath is fragmented, laced with sighs and deep intakes of air and it takes a while before she is able to reply. She hasn't eaten anything since breakfast and it's nearly 8 PM. He pulls out of her and goes to the bathroom. She hears the water in shower running and she joins him, careful not to wet her hair. Together, they wash themselves of each other's bodies and fluids.

Later, she is sitting on his counter, with a big towel wrapped around her body. Her feet are dangling off the counter as she watches him mixing eggs for an omelet.

"Cesar," she says, knowing that she might spoil the entire evening with what she is going to say. "This is never going to happen again." She tightens the towel around her body, as if to give herself strength.

"I thought you enjoyed spending the evening with me," he says without turning around.

"I did," she acknowledges. "But I think we should grow up and stop this."

"Is it one of those other men?" he asks. "That lieutenant you like?"

"No. It's just that I feel that I deserve better than seeing you once a year." She should feel stronger when she says this, but she doesn't.

"Are you not satisfied with all the other guys?" he wonders.

"Cesar," her voice is shaking. "There are no other men. You are the only man I've ever slept with," she admits. He turns around to face her and inspects her with his gaze. She can see it in his eyes that he doesn't believe her. "I don't know why or how you got the idea that I've been screwing around like some bitch in heat, but the truth is that I haven't." He looks at her in shock. He knows that she was still a virgin when he married her, but he didn't have a clue that she never slept with any other man after their separation. This moment seems very unrealistic to him.

"Why?" he tries to hide the turbulence he's feeling.

"I don't know," she shrugs. She can see that he is upset with the discovery and she feels the need to sooth him but she doesn't know how. This is exactly the reason their marriage failed; they could never communicate properly outside of bed. "And it doesn't matter. I don't want to do this anymore."

"But the sex is the best part of our marriage. That is why we're still having it," he argues.

"Sex is and always has been the only good part of our marriage, Cesar." She doesn't mean for her voice to deliver such sadness but it does. "And I will miss it a lot, but these sexual encounters are the only thing that is still left of our marriage and we are holding on to it for too long. It's time for the both of us to let go."

"You want a divorce, is that what you're saying?" he knows she's right, but it doesn't mean she wants it to end.

"I do." The words hurt her as much as they hurt him.

"If that's what you want," he replies, his heart heavy. Then he looks at her and grins. "Did you really never sleep with anyone else?" she shakes her head. It will take him time to get used to these news. "It's unbelievable. You're such a good catholic girl." A smile graces her features.

"These are the rules." Suddenly they don't feel so hungry but they won't admit it. Cesar serves the omelet and they eat silently. When they finish, Sharon wears her dress again and puts her shoes on.

"You're so beautiful in this dress. I can't believe that I will never see you wearing it again." She allows him to wrap his arms around her and lean down to kiss her lips.

"Take care of yourself, Cesar. Keep going to meetings and call your sponsor if you feel you need help," she says and put her key to his loft in his palm.

"I will," He assures her. "And I hope that now that you're free, you can find someone special to take care of your needs; that lieutenant, maybe." His words make her grin.

"Goodbye, Cesar." After closing the door of his loft behind her, she throws a quick look backwards. She hurries down the hall and into the elevator.

She sits in her car and stares into the air for a long moment. She knows that asking him for a divorce was a good thing, but it still hurts. She wishes that she had the courage to admit the truth to him. But she couldn't bring herself to tell him that the real reason she has never slept with any other man is that she has never stopped loving him. She loved him with her whole heart despite all the suffering he put her through during their marriage. Her tears sting her eyes and for the first time in years she finds herself sobbing bitterly. She knows she must look miserable, sitting in her car in a badly-lit parking lot and crying her eyes out. Suddenly her phone rings and she takes it out of her golden purse and answers.

"Lieutenant Flynn," she says, trying to choke a sniffle, but fails.

"Captain, are you okay?" On the other end of the call it sounds like the Captain is crying and her voice is shaking.

"I'm fine, Lieutenant. How may I help you?" she asks. Yes, she is definitely crying, Andy confirms to himself. He wonders what made her cry as he informs her that the Major Crimes division caught a murder. "Text me the address," she chokes another sniffle as she hangs up the call.

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**A/N2:** I might write a follow-up fic. Please let me know if you'd be interested in reading more.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I would like to thank you for the comments and reviews. This fic was originally supposed to have one chapter and be left open ended, but I decided to mash it up with another idea that I had for a different fic. So now you get 2 for 1.

Secondly, I wasn't very happy writing this in the same style of the previous chapter so I'm resorting to my old writing styles and I hope you will like it.

**Warning:** This chapter contains descriptions of a gory crime scene. If it's not your kind of thing, please don't read ahead.

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Sharon parked her car in front of the warehouse and threw a glance at the mirror. Her eyes were a little puffy and the tip of her nose was flush, but apart from that she looked good. She left the car, took her badge out of her golden purse and presented it to the police officer that stood outside the crime scene. He lifted the yellow tape for her to pass under. Her golden heels clicked on the floor as she walked towards her squad.

"Captain Raydor," She heard Provenza's voice. She could see her squad members inspecting her top to bottom, not expecting to see her in this revealing dress. "I'm sorry that we pulled you away from… whatever it is that you were doing."

"Don't worry about it, Lieutenant" her voice was firm. "What have we here?"

"A couple of trespassing teens found a dead girl in this warehouse." Andy informed her. He pointed upwards, where Sharon could see a girl's body, hanging from a sharp hook that was piercing through her shoulder. Sharon felt her stomach twitching. The girl didn't look very old. "And we found three other girls hanging like this. One of them is still alive."

"That's good. Maybe she can provide us information about the person who did this." She pressed the palm of her hand to her stomach. It was lucky that she didn't eat anything but Cesar's omelet. Otherwise she would have thrown up and contaminated the crime scene. "This warehouse…"

"We're still trying to locate the owners. It seems to be abandoned." Tao informed her.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Tao. Please follow the medical examiner and make sure every single detail is recorded. Detectives Sanchez and Sykes, would you please go back to the station and interview the teens who found the bodies? Lieutenant Provenza, please follow the witness to the hospital and see if you can get anything out of her. Buzz, you're with Sykes and Sanchez. Flynn, you're coming with me." Usually she let Provenza assign the squad members their tasks, but this time she thought he would forgive her if she did it herself. Her squad scattered to perform their tasks. She grabbed Andy's arm and pointed in the direction she wanted to go. She had a hunch she wanted to check. They went down a metal staircase and followed a long dimly-lit hall.

"What are you thinking, Captain?" Andy asked.

"I'm thinking that this is a huge place and that there might be more girls, dead or alive in here."

"Do you hear that?" Andy asked and she froze in her spot and listened. She could hear trickling or bubbling of water. "Do you have your service weapon with you?"

"No," she replied. She left her weapon in her safe at home. Andy drew his weapon and walked in front of her. "It's coming from here," she pointed at a double metal door.

"Stay behind me," Andy said as he pushed the door open and went into the room with a drawn weapon. A strong smell hit their noses and their eyes started stinging. Sharon covered her mouth and nose with her palm as they walked further into the room. In the middle of the room, they could see two big oil drums. Something was boiling inside them and making a hell of a noise. Sharon peeked into one and upon seeing what was in it, she grabbed Andy's arm, pulling him towards the door.

"Andy, out. Now." She said and Andy managed to sneak a peek inside one of the oil drums before she dragged him outside. Once they were out of the room, she pushed the door closed and backed away from it. She opened her purse and fished her iPhone out, quickly calling someone. Andy wasn't sure what was happening and he hoped that once she finishes her call she explains it to him. He felt a sting in his eyes and throat. Tears started flowing down his face and he started coughing. When Sharon finished her phone call, he noticed that her eyes were bloodshot and she also had been crying. "The HazMat unit is on their way here. They instructed us to stay here, not go back into the room and not let anyone else pass through this door." She pointed at the door and even through his tears, Andy noticed that her hand was shaking.

"What the hell was boiling in those drums?" Andy asked as he wiped his tears. His eyes were stinging like crazy.

"Some form of acid," Sharon replied, "And we came in contact with it, so we need to wait for HazMat to come and decontaminate us and secure this scene."

"What was that in the drum? Was that a body?" Andy felt breathless and nauseous.

"It seems this way." Sharon's voice was indifferent, and Andy knew it was on purpose. She adopted this tone every time she feared that she might fall apart.

"Whoever killed these girls is a sick bastard." Andy let his rage take over. "And dissolving the bodies in acid… It's sickening." Sharon hummed in response and wiped her eyes, smearing her black eyeliner under her eyes in the process. She leaned against the wall opposite to the door and Andy noticed that she was taking deep breaths and exhaling the air through her mouth. "You okay, Captain?" she nodded slowly and continued the almost ritualistic breathing. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to calm myself down. I'll be fine, Lieutenant," she replied in a monotonous tone. Andy wondered where the hell she developed such incredible coping mechanisms.

"This dress looks good on you." He changed the subject. He could definitely understand why the Captain would feel the need to calm herself down. He might as well help her a little bit.

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

"Were you on a date?" he asked.

"You could say that," she replied and wiped her eyes again.

"I'm sorry for interrupting. I hope your date understood why you had to leave early." He knew that so often his love interests gave up on him for the sole reason of him being constantly on call and he assumed that the Captain had the same experience in the past. Sharon nodded slowly. She didn't want to think about Cesar or their impending divorce. "You want to tell me about him?"

"Not really," she replied.

"You were crying when I called." He pointed out. "Is…" as he was about to complete the question, they heard steps down the hall and a HazMat unit came rushing towards them, grabbing them and manhandled them outside the warehouse to a big plastic tent that was set up by the HazMat unit in the abandoned back yard of the warehouse.

"Can we do this separately?" Sharon asked the person who started stripping her off her dress.

"Sorry, no time to set up another tent," the person replied as she removed the straps of Sharon's dress off her shoulders and then rolled her dress down until it pooled at her feet. Sharon stepped out of her shoes and insisted on removing her panties on her own. Right next to her, Andy was going through a similar process. "Please step in there," one HazMat member instructed them and they stepped into a part of the tent that had a shower. Very conscious of her nudity in front of her lieutenant, Sharon found herself turning her back to him as a HazMat member vigorously scrubbed every inch of her skin. The water was stinging her skin after the intense scrubbing and she bit her bottom lip to choke a cry of pain. It felt as if someone was sticking a thousand needles into her skin. She wasn't sure for how long the shower lasted, but eventually the HazMat member handed her a big towel which she quickly wrapped around herself and she was offered a seat. Andy landed on a seat right next to her, his skin red and flush. He was still coughing and his eyes were red.

"Captain Raydor," a tall man, clad in a protective suit took a seat in front of her. "I'm Sergeant James Adrian. I'm the officer in charge of the Hazardous Materials unit. How are you feeling?"

"I'm sure I'll live." Sharon replied. She felt very overwhelmed. Even though she knew in advance that she and Andy were going to go through a decontamination, she wasn't prepared for the pain or embarrassment of having to shower right next to her lieutenant.

"First of all, I'm apologize for not being able to decontaminate the two of you separately. Time was of the essence and I hope you understand." Sergeant Adrian started.

"I'm sure the Lieutenant and I will get over it… with intensive therapy," she smiled at Flynn. She might have been a little shaken, but she was relieved as well. He smiled back. "How are you feeling, Andy?"

"Still having some breathing difficulties," he replied.

"Both of you will be taken to the hospital for further examination, but it seems so far that your exposure to a hazardous material was superficial." Sergeant Adrian informed them.

"Sergeant, what were we exposed to?"

"The material in those drums is sulfuric acid. The fumes are very dangerous, but your exposure was short and I believe you will not suffer any permanent damage."

"And what about the bodies? How long were they in the drums?" Andy asked.

"Not too long. It takes two days to completely dissolve bodies in sulfuric acid. Those bodies were in the drums for a few hours at most." Sergeant Adrian replied.

"Will they be identifiable?" Sharon wondered.

"They should be. After they are decontaminated, I will make sure they are transferred to your medical examiner. Don't expect to gather much evidence from them. The acid probably destroyed it."

"Thank you, Sergeant. Please transfer the bodies to our ME as soon as possible," Sharon said and Sergeant Adrian nodded. Two paramedics walked into the tent and rolled a gurney in.

"It seems that the ambulances are here." Sergeant Adrian said.

"What about our clothes?" Andy asked and took a seat on the gurney as instructed by one of the paramedics.

"We'll do our best to decontaminate and return them to you, if possible. For now, you get to keep the towels."

* * *

Sharon was lying on the couch in her living room and staring at the TV. She couldn't concentrate on what was showing but the noise was comforting and made her feel like she wasn't alone. Taylor insisted that she and Andy take the day off work and she only communicated with her squad over the phone. A knock on the door startled Sharon and she looked away from the television and walked over to open the door. Andy was standing there, looking a little lost.

"Captain, how are you feeling?" he asked and she invited him in.

"I'm fine. What about you, Andy?" she motioned towards the couch and they sat down.

"I'm okay, I think." He said and his eyes inspected her from top to bottom. She was wearing a pair of low cut track pants and a white tank top. He thought she looked so much softer like this outfit than in the power suits she usually wore at work.

"So, what brings you here?" she asked.

"I've been thinking about you a lot since last night." Andy replied and Sharon was a little taken aback by his honesty.

"Oh," was the only sound she managed to produce.

"I don't mean to be rude, but the date that you had the other night…" Andy looked straight into her eyes. "Did he beat you? Is that why you were crying when you picked up the phone?"

"Andy," she put her hand on his knee. "What makes you think he beat me?"

"The bruises on your back; I saw them in the shower." Andy replied and she blushed at the thought that he took the liberty to look at her during the decontamination, while she actually looked away from him. "I'm only asking because I want to make sure you are safe."

"I appreciate your concern, Andy, but those bruises are my personal business. I will assure you, though, that I was not beaten up by anyone and I am safe." She smiled.

"You were crying last night." Andy pointed out.

"That was because of the sulfuric acid, Andy."

"No, I mean before that, when I called you." Andy explained.

"Andy, I'd appreciate it if you don't pry into my personal life. I understand that the fact that we had to be decontaminated together might have given you the idea that…"

"I'm sorry, Captain. I didn't mean to upset you. If you say that you are okay, then I'll take your word for it." Andy said. "I should go. Get some rest and I'll see you at work tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update. Hope you enjoy this chapter. **

* * *

Sharon looked at the photos from the crime scene and felt the contents of her stomach climbing up her spine. Three bodies that were pierced through the shoulder were gory enough, but adding two bodies that were partially dissolved by acid made her stomach twitch painfully.

Luckily word of the serial killer murdering young girls, hanging them from meat hooks and then dissolving them in sulfuric acid did not go out to the media. Two of the bodies were already identified as underage street workers and the survivor was still in the hospital, but refused to cooperate with the police and identify herself. From the information they were able to gather, she was underage and had no priors.

"Captain," Sharon flinched upon hearing Andy's voice. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to let you know that a guy came over just a moment ago and left this for you." He handed her a brown envelope.

"What did he look like?" Sharon took the envelope and inspected it. There was no name or logo on it.

"Tall, salt and pepper hair, glasses." Andy replied. Sharon opened the envelope and took its content out. Divorce papers, all filled out and signed by Cesar. She felt tears rising in her eyes. "You okay?" Andy noticed it immediately. People thought he was just a hothead, but he had a very good eye for small details and he had a deep care for people's feelings.

"He didn't want to give it for me personally?" she asked.

"No, he said he trusted me to give it to you. Seemed to know who I am, even though I'm sure I never met him in my life. Who is he?"

"That's Cesar." Sharon put the papers down on her table. "He's my…" She wondered what she was supposed to call him; he was not going to be her husband once she signed the divorce forms, but technically he was not her ex-husband yet. "He's my husband," she decided.

"I thought you were divorced." Andy said. He knew that the Captain was living alone and Rusty never mentioned a husband.

"We've been separated for twenty years," she explained. "So yes, he's my husband. At least until I sign these papers." She motioned towards the papers and sighed.

"Captain, if I may," Andy said. "Is he the person you were with on the night we…"

"Yes, lieutenant," Sharon replied.

"And you're sure he didn't hurt you?" he asked.

"I assure you that he didn't lay a hand on me, Andy."

"Because you know that legally I'm supposed to report about it if I have a suspicion that an LAPD officer is being abused." He could see the way Sharon cringed as she he said these words. She pushed her chair back and hurried to close the door and pull the blinds shut.

"My husband did not abuse me, Lieutenant. He never has," her voice was stern but Andy could detect a considerable amount of fear and maybe shame in it too.

"Then give me an acceptable explanation for your bruises, because what I saw on your back in the shower is not from a fall or an accident or any of the other bullshit we are so used to hearing."

"Lieutenant, are you trying to extort information about my personal life by threatening to open a domestic abuse investigation against my husband?" Sharon was not easily scared and she did not intend to succumb to his attempts.

"No, Captain. I am giving you a chance to avoid an investigation and I thought you'd appreciate that." Andy replied.

"Why do you even care?" She squinted and entwined her arms on her chest.

"Because I disagree with violent behavior," Andy replied.

"Your package states otherwise," Sharon's voice was cold.

"I was exonerated of each of those charges and you were the person who cleared me in more than half of those cases." Andy retorted. "Anyway, if you're not going to tell me anything, I'll go out of here right into Chief Pope's office, so this is your last chance."

"Please don't do that," Sharon's tone was almost too sweet.

"Give me a good reason and I won't." Andy insisted. He could see the conflict that was registering across her face. She obviously had something to hide. "Look, if what you tell me is highly personal, I'll keep it to myself, as long as I know that you are safe." Sharon sighed deeply.

"Okay, but if this ever gets out of you, I will file a harassment complaint against you."

"You should really give me more credit than that," Andy replied.

"The bruises you've seen are actually bite marks. My husband is turned on by that so we do that during sex," her cheeks became flush and Andy looked a little bit shocked. He obviously didn't expect this answer. "Happy now?"

"So you're having sex with your ex-husband," he stated.

"He's not my ex-husband yet," Sharon quirked her eyebrow.

"And he likes to pretend he's a vampire…" Andy seemed to weigh the idea for some reason. "That's a whole new level of kink, Captain."

"Lieutenant, you're stepping over boundaries. I told you what you wanted. Now, you can see he is safe for me to be around and we can put this behind us." His eyes examined her. She looked so tough and so vulnerable at the same time and he felt like his heart was breaking a little.

"So I have just one last question," he said and continued without waiting for her answer. "How do you feel about divorcing him?" If he was having sex with his ex-wife, they would probably still be together and he was not sure why any couple which is no longer living together would want to keep having sex with each other. There must have been something which made his Captain stick with her husband for that wild, kinky ride.

"I feel like it's the right time for us to split up and move on." She put up a brave face, but he could see behind it. Suddenly he realized why she cried the other night. It occurred to him that he really didn't need to ask her about her feelings, because crying only meant one thing; she loved the man more than she was willing to admit.

"Well, divorce can be a hard process and I've been through it, so if you need anything, you know… I'm here for you, Captain," he said.

"Thank you, but that extends beyond your job description, Lieutenant."

"I don't want to blow your bubble, Captain, but it's going to be hard and painful. Don't hurry to reject help when it's offered to you." His words made her shake her head, as if refusing to believe what he said. "Suit yourself." He said and left her office. Denial was one of the stages of grief and she obviously was just slipping into it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning:** This chapter contains canon non-graphic mentions of alcoholism and sexual abuse.

* * *

Sharon waited in the car outside St. Joseph's High School and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. Rusty has been away on a three days school trip which gave her the much needed time for herself, but she missed him terribly. She was excited that he was coming back and she hoped that he had a good time. The bus stopped in front of the school and kids started going out of it. The driver was taking pieces of luggage from the trunk and putting them down on the pavement. Sharon looked at the mess of teenagers and bags in anticipation of seeing Rusty and her heart filled with joy as she saw him hugging a girl and then giving a brotherly hug to a friend, as he loaded his duffle bag on his shoulder and walked towards her car. He shoved the duffle bag into her trunk and then opened the door and went into the passenger seat next to her.

"Hi," Sharon's voice high pitched and excited. "I missed you," she uttered the words softly.

"I missed you too," he replied.

"No, you didn't. No one misses their home on a school trip." Sharon grinned. "How was it?"

"It was really cool. I think that I made some new friends. There are some really cool kids in my class, I didn't even know them that well until now." Rusty said.

"I'm glad to hear that you've made new friends, Rusty." Sharon beamed with pleasure. Hearing that he was happy brightened up her day. "I know you probably want to go home, but I need to make a stop at the hospital first."

"That's no problem. I'll come with you. Is everyone on the squad okay?"

"Yes. I need to go and question a survivor of a murder attempt. She's not talking and she is our only lead in the investigation. I think she's too scared to understand what's happening." Sharon explained. Rusty loved to watch her work. He thought that the way she questioned suspects and other persons of interest was very sophisticated.

"What happened to her?" he asked.

"I can't disclose any information about it at this moment. It hasn't been released to the media yet."

"So this is a big case," Rusty said. It meant that she was going to be too busy until this investigation is over.

"Yes, it's a huge case and we need this girl to start talking to us in order to get some leads." Sharon explained.

* * *

Andy was waiting for them outside the girl's hospital room. He held a file in his hand and gave it over to Sharon, smiling at Rusty and patting his shoulder. He briefed her on the girl's wounds and the doctor's updates about her condition.

"She refuses to give us her name, but judging from the profile of the other victims, she is most likely under 16 and works as a prostitute. The lab is running her blood to see if it's matching anyone in the system." He briefed her.

"She's not going to talk to you," Rusty said.

"What?" Sharon turned to look at him.

"She's a street worker. She doesn't have any reason to trust the police. But, I used to be a street treat too, so maybe I can make her talk. You know, at least get you her name and age." Rusty said.

"I don't think it's such a good idea, Rusty." Sharon said and he could see the concerned expression that crossed her face.

"You know what? It might not be a bad idea either. Rusty is right. Prostitutes do not trust the police, but she might trust another kid who knows what she's been through. If Rusty can just go in there, tell her about himself a little, she could tell him her name and maybe other things too," Andy said.

"I must be crazy for agreeing to this." Sharon muttered under her breath. She took out something from her bag and handed it to Rusty. "You have to record everything she says. If you can get her name, it's good, but if you can also get information about what happened to her, what she saw, if she knows the other girls, it would be even better." She showed Rusty how to operate the recorder. "Go in there, introduce yourself and try not to reveal too much personal information about yourself." Rusty nodded and opened the door to the girl's room, walking in and closing the door behind him. Sharon leaned against the wall and looked at the door desperately.

"You okay, Captain?" Andy asked.

"Lieutenant, it is really better for you to not ask me that question at this moment." By the tone of her voice, he could hear that she was royally pissed.

"What did I do wrong?" he asked.

"For a start, you can stop interfering with my personal life and that includes my husband and Rusty." She tried to keep her cool and Andy could see that it was a tremendous effort for her.

"What, is this because I thought the kid had a good idea and suggested we go along with it?" Andy wondered.

"Did you even think for a moment about the fact that Rusty is an abandoned child who is also a victim of sexual abuse before supporting his idea to go and deal with a kid who's gone through a similar experience?" She fumed, but tried to keep her voice down, so Rusty won't hear her inside the girl's room.

"Did you consider the fact that maybe this is his way to deal with what he's been through? Maybe by helping someone else, he will find a purpose to what has happened to him?" Andy retorted.

"This is sexual abuse, Andy, not alcoholism." Sharon replied.

"What do you even know about alcoholism?" Andy asked, almost letting his temper get the better of him.

"Oh, I know plenty; much more than you would have imagined." She replied and Andy could see tears glistening in her eyes. He knew that he crossed the line and touched a delicate spot.

"Are you a recovering alcoholic, Captain?" he wondered out loud, even though he knew that he should probably not ask. If she was an alcoholic and having a hard time coping, she needed a sponsor, or at least support. She shook her head and turned her back to him. He could hear her sniffle; she was obviously trying to compose herself and avoid crying in front of him. "Your husband is," he stated as the realization sank into his mind. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I don't know you very well, I guess. And I shouldn't have contradicted what you said to Rusty." He didn't like hurting people and seeing her so vulnerable made him uncomfortable. He was so used to seeing her tough and uncompromising that he sometimes forgot she had feelings. "I just want to solve this case."

"Don't you think I want that too, Andy?" she turned around to face him. "But not at any cost."

"You know, seeing those girls in the barrels and going through that decontamination was horrifying for me. I'm sort of glad you were there with me," he said in a soft tone she never heard from him before.

"Of course you are. You peeked at me in the shower," she grinned.

"I didn't mean that, although that was a very nice bonus and I can't say I didn't enjoy the view, and it kind of helped me deal with the situation." Andy replied,

"I bet it did," she didn't sound too happy about it, but not too upset either.

"No, I mean, you were so calm. I thought I was going to throw up and you did that breathing exercise even in the shower. Watching you actually calmed me down too." Andy admitted.

"It wasn't the breathing exercise, I assure you," she said, suddenly remembering what Cesar had told her about Andy. _"…I hope that now that you're free, you can find someone special to take care of your needs; that lieutenant, maybe."_

"Maybe not, but it helped me, regardless."


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning:** This chapter includes subtle mentions of sexual abuse.

* * *

Rusty walked into the room, unsure what to expect. For a moment he doubted his ability to get anything out of the girl. He didn't trust a single person when he was in a similar state, not even the people who wanted to help him. He felt his stomach fluttering with a feeling he wasn't quite sure how to call; it wasn't exactly fear**, **but it also wasn't excitement. It was something in between those two consuming emotions.

The girl was sitting in a hospital bed and looking at her lunch as if it was a lifelong enemy. Her right arm was held in a sling and she was trying to open a container of chocolate pudding with her teeth.

"You're gonna break your teeth on that," he said and snatched it from her, ignoring her frown. He removed the aluminum lid and handed it back to her. She put it down on the tray and grabbed her spoon, dipping it in the container. Rusty noticed that she was struggling to bring it back out without spilling it. "Let me," he said and took the spoon from her, bringing it to her mouth. "I'm Rusty," he introduced himself.

"Lilly," her voice was brittle and hoarse, as if her vocal chords were numb. Rusty pulled a chair and examined her. Her hair was deep brown and her eyes were slate grey. She had a long nose, but not too long to be considered pretty and her cheekbones were high. Her nose was slightly freckled which gave her a very innocent appearance. She must have looked stunning with makeup, but in this hospital bed, she looked simple and small. She couldn't be older than 15, he thought.

"Got a last name, Lilly?"

"Do you?" she retorted. "Who are you?"

"I just want to help you," he replied. "I know where you've been. I've been there too." Lilly looked away from him. He could see that she was trying to ignore his presence. "Look, you might not believe me, but I'm on your side." She turned to look at him again and he could almost see the thoughts forming inside her head. He still remembered how hard it was to learn to trust someone else. It took him a few months and he hoped that Lilly will be able to trust him enough to tell him her full name. He could feel his body tensing, the blood rushing through his veins. He almost shivered with the amount of need that filled him. He needed to help this girl realize that he really wanted what was best for her. He wondered if this was the way Sharon felt when he shut her down. Lilly looked into his eyes and he fought the urge to avert his gaze from her. Eyes were the mirror to the soul, or so they say.

"Sullivan. It's Lilly Sullivan," she whispered as she came to a conclusion. She motioned towards the pudding container with her healthy hand. "Are you gonna to help me with that?"

* * *

Rusty walked out of the room and felt an immediate relief to see Sharon. Simply landing his eyes on her gave him a comforting feeling. He could feel some tension between Sharon and Andy, as if something with those two was slightly off, but he wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to stick his nose into their business. All he knew was that something happened between them while he was in Lilly's room.

"Her name is Lilly Sullivan, she'll be 15 in a couple of weeks, been in the streets for nearly a year," he said. "She said she was too tired to tell me anything else, but she trusts me, so maybe later or tomorrow I can come back again and talk to her some more." He looked at Sharon with big, hopeful eyes.

"Great job, Rusty." Sharon said. "Lieutenant, please go back to the station and run her name, see if she has any family." Andy nodded and went away. She turned back to Rusty, "How are you feeling, honey?" she asked and he could see the concern that was registered across her face.

"I think that I can make a real difference, you know. She needs a friend and I can be that for her." His eyes were shining and Sharon brushed her hand down his arm and pursed her lips.

"I'm proud of you, Rusty. I know it must have been hard for you and if this is helping you come to terms with everything that you've been through, you've got my support." Her voice was emotional and even though Rusty knew that she was against the idea before he went into Lilly's room, he was sure she understood him now.

"You gave me a chance to change my life and you never judged me for who I am or what I did. I just want to give her the same chance." Rusty shrugged. Sharon contemplated his words for a moment and then nodded in understanding.

"Well, we should get you home and you can come visit her again tomorrow after school," she said and wrapped her arm around his shoulder as they walked down the hall towards the elevator.

* * *

Lilly tried to get out of bed, only to discover that with her right hand in a sling and a pair of disobedient feet, it was almost unfeasible. It didn't stop her from trying again and she found herself on the sticky linoleum floor. She felt cool air on her behind and she realized that her hospital gown was open in the back. She let out a string of swearwords that would make a drunken sailor blush.

Someone kneeled beside her and she felt an arm being wrapped around her body and supporting her weight. Gentle fingers moved the hair from her face and she could see a pair of emerald green eyes looking into hers. She's never seen such green eyes in her life and it was intriguing to stare into them, just so she could take in the color.

"Lilly, isn't it?" the woman said. Her voice was warm and smooth, encompassing and almost chocolaty. Lilly nodded slowly. "I'm Sharon," Lilly looked at her without saying a word. "You're not supposed to be out of bed, honey." Sharon helped her up and back into bed. "What were you trying to get? I can get it for you."

"I just wanted to go out for some air. This room is ugly and stuffy and this fucking bed is probably the worst I've ever laid on, and I've been in some really crappy beds." Lilly said. Her own voice sounded strange to her; it was smoky and hoarse.

"I can try to arrange for you to be taken out to get some air," Sharon said.

"Who are you? Another ex-hooker coming to tell me how good life can be for me if I just do what you say?" Lilly asked, "I preferred the dude who came in yesterday. He was funny, at least."

"Actually, I'm his foster mother," Sharon admitted. She could understand the frustration Lilly was feeling. Being stuck in a bed for days with no visitors could be very difficult. "He's at school now, but he'll come by later. I was hoping we could have a little chat."

"Are you a reporter?"

"No, I'm a police Captain. I'm investigating the murders that took place at the warehouse where you were found." Sharon explained. She wasn't sure what it was about the girl, but she liked her, despite her angry attitude and bitterness that was so typical for frustrated teens.

"I don't remember anything, so you're wasting your time," Lilly said.

"Well, then tell me a little about yourself. What do you like to eat?" Sharon asked. Her experience with Rusty taught her that it's nearly impossible to get all the truth out at once and it was better to start with questions that would not trigger any disturbing memories.

"Pizza," Lilly replied but looked at Sharon with suspicious eyes.

"Just like Rusty," Sharon grinned. "He really liked you."

"Of course he did. All men like me." Lilly retorted.

"No, I mean, not like that. He thought that you were nice. He said you have a good sense of humor."

"We didn't talk for a long time," Lilly said.

"Hopefully, you'll get to spend more time together today." Sharon smiled at her. She could already see the effect that Rusty and Lilly had on each other.

"When do I get out of here?"

"Lilly, did anyone explain to you why you're in the hospital?" Sharon wondered. Not only was this girl not supposed to be out of bed, she was lucky to be alive at all.

"No one talks to me. The stupid nurse just comes in and sticks needles into this thing," Lilly pointed at the IV in her arm. "And the doctor just looks at my chart."

"When we found you, there was a hook going through your shoulder and it caused a lot of damage to the muscles in your arm. The doctors operated on your arm when you came in here, but there's an infection," Sharon paused to let the girl a moment to take in the information. "Right now, they're trying to cure the infection and if that doesn't work, you might need to undergo another surgery." Lilly's eyes widened and Sharon could see the desperation in them.

"I don't wanna stay here," she could barely utter the words. "I don't want another surgery. I don't have time for this. I can get well on my own."

"Lilly, you can't get well on your own." It was clear to Sharon that the girl did not understand the severity of her condition. "The surgery the doctors are talking about is a very difficult one. They might need to amputate part of your arm," she tried to say the words as softly as she could and avoid dramatic tones. She hated to be the one giving such bad news to the girl.

"You are just trying to scare me," Lilly said in disbelief.

"No, honey, I am not." Sharon replied. An expression of terror spread across Lilly's face as she detected the sincerity in Sharon's voice.

"I don't want them to cut my hand off." She called out. "Please don't let them. I'll tell you everything you want to know, just tell 'em not to cut my hand off." The fingers of her healthy arm clenched Sharon's sleeve.

"I'm sure the doctors will do everything they can in order to save your arm." Sharon rarely felt as uncomfortable as she did now. She knew that the chances of an amputation taking place were quite high and she couldn't bring herself to lie to the girl.

"Please, please… I'll do anything you say," Tears rolled down Lilly's face and Sharon could feel her own heart contract as if someone held it in a death grip. She wrapped her arm around Lilly's slender body and pulled her into a tight embrace. She couldn't do anything about Lilly's injured arm, but she could definitely try to console the weeping girl. Her fingers stroked Lilly's messy hair as the girl sobbed into the jacket of Sharon's Armani suit, her tears leaving stains that might never come off.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Sorry for taking forever to update. School, work and life in general took my time. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'd love it if you leave a review and tell me what you think.

* * *

The voices in the murder room sounded muffled in Sharon's ears. She walked carefully, trying hard not to trip and fall in front of her fellow officers. Visiting Lilly at the hospital had its effect on her. She held the poor girl in her arms, until the energy completely left the teenager's body and she fell asleep. Sharon hasn't held a sobbing teenager since her daughter broke up with her first boyfriend. It seemed like a huge tragedy back then in a way both Sharon and her daughter found hard to grasp. Lilly's condition, however, diminished that loss of a boyfriend significantly.

"Captain," Andy walked over to her and handed her a thick file he received from DCFS. "This is Lilly Sullivan's file."

"Could you brief me, please?" she asked, her voice conveying how emotionally exhausted she was.

"Sure. Well, she's almost 15, as Rusty said. And she's a runaway. Her parents died in an accident when she was two years old. She lived with her elderly aunt until she was 10 and when the aunt passed on, she was transferred to a foster family. She's been to 7 foster families in the last 3.5 years. Then she ran away for an unknown reason. Seems like the information Rusty got out of her is accurate. Your kid has a bright future as a police investigator." His last comment made Sharon smile. Andy could see how much love she possessed for the little smartass.

"Thank you, Andy," she uttered his name softly, resisting the urge to brush her hand down his arm in front of the squad. Had they've been in her office, she would have done it for sure. "Have we found the owner of the warehouse?" she addressed the squad.

"Recently deceased, Captain." Tao replied.

"Do we have the name of the heir?" She was getting frustrated by the moment. It wasn't like her squad to be so behind on the facts.

"No, not yet. I'm sorry, Captain." Tao said. "The owner just died a week ago. The property has not been registered under anyone else's name yet." His reply made Sharon sigh.

"Okay," she said with defeat. "I would also like to know where our murderer got sulfuric acid."

"Sulfuric acid is used in chemical industry, Captain. It's used to produce many things, so our killer could have gotten it anywhere." Tao explained.

"But how did the killer know that it could be used to dispose of bodies?"

"Sulfuric acid is sometimes used in morgues in order to dispose of cadavers." Tao replied.

"So the killer might be working in a morgue," Provenza suggested.

"Or has an access to one." Sykes said.

"What about the fingerprints?" Sharon wondered.

"They hadn't come back yet, Captain." Andy replied. "The prints lab is short stuffed."

"That's their problem, not ours. Please call them and ask that they put a rush on getting me the prints until the end of the day, especially the ones taken from the oil drums and the hooks." Sharon said. Her phone rang and she looked at the screen, to see the name of her divorce lawyer. "I'm sorry. I have to take this call," she said and walked into her office, closing the doors behind her.

* * *

Sharon walked to the nurses' station while Rusty walked into Lilly's room. She hoped that Rusty's presence will help distract the girl from the disturbing news Sharon gave her in the morning. She presented her badge to the head nurse and inquired about Lilly's condition.

"She's improved since the morning. Her fever is slowly going down. It seems that the antibiotics are working. She slept a few hours after your left. Seems like it she benefited from the rest."

"If it's possible, I'd like to take her out for a while, just so she can get some fresh air," Sharon uttered the words sweetly, her voice soft and caressing. She could see that her tone was affecting the head nurse.

"Sure, but only for fifteen minutes and she cannot leave the wheelchair," The nurse replied.

"Of course," Sharon nodded thankfully. She knew that the only way Lilly will ever trust her would be if she really tries to help her. And besides, Lilly's fragility touched her heart deeper than she was willing to admit to herself.

* * *

Sharon leaned over the banister in her balcony, an unlit cigarette between her lips and her fingers fidgeting with the lighter, the metal cool to the touch and slowly warming in her hand. She couldn't quite decipher what it was that she was feeling, but it was disturbing and painful all at once. She knew all cops had cases hitting close to home every once in a while, but she did not expect it to ever happen to her, especially after spending so many years in Internal Affairs. And Rusty's involvement was even more confusing to her.

She looked at the Zippo she was holding and flicked the lid open and rolled her thumb down the flint wheel, hearing the murmur of the fire being lit and the lighter fluid leaving the canister. She brought the flame to her cigarette, slowly inhaling the smoke as she lit it. She only smoked when she was nervous to the point of breaking down, which happened so rarely that she felt the smoke inside her lungs choking her. She exhaled a long string of smoke slowly and a desperate sigh followed it. A knock on the front door drew her from a deep thought and she threw a glance at her watch. It was almost midnight and she had no clue who could be on her doorstep at such an hour. With the cigarette stuck between her lips, slowly slipping towards the corner of her mouth, she walked over to the door and looked through the peeping hole. The person on the other side of the door was no other than her hot headed lieutenant and she sighed ever-so-slightly before opening the door.

"Lieutenant, it's eleven thirty at night," she said reproachfully.

"Unless you smoke in bed, I don't think you were sleeping." He replied with that boyish grin of his. His eyes scanned her from top to bottom. She was definitely not dressed for bed.

"What are you doing here?" She asked and he could detect some level of defeat or maybe exhaustion in her voice.

"I just wanted to talk." He said.

"You could have called," she replied. He wondered what had her in such a bad mood. It couldn't be the fact that they had an argument the other day because she seemed fine at work.

"May I come in?" he ignored her annoyed tone. She moved from the doorway, wordlessly letting him enter her apartment. She headed into the balcony and he followed her, leaning over the banister the same way she did. "I came here because I couldn't sleep," he said. "I haven't been able to sleep since that night, you know." She hummed and he wasn't sure what it meant, but he continued. "Every time I close my eyes, I see those deformed bodies in the barrels." He watched her as she took a deep drag on her cigarette, slowly releasing the smoke from her lungs. "You were there with me so I wondered if you were also having trouble slee…"

"I haven't, actually. I've been sleeping just fine" her voice was stern, as if she it was masking for something. "But I suggest that you see a therapist if you want, I can ask Taylor to assign someone else to replace you on the case."

"No, that's not what I want," he said. He looked at her and decided to expose the real reason for his being there. "I lied." She turned to face him, her eyes inquisitive. "What I just said about not being able to sleep, that's not true. I said it because I noticed that you've been having trouble with this case and I thought if I told you something you could relate to, it will help you," he confessed.

"How would it help me?" Andy could detect the sarcasm that crept into her voice.

"To understand that you are not alone," he replied. "You are not alone, Sharon." It was the first time he ever called her by her first name and she liked the way it came out of his mouth, as if his tongue stroked her name before mouthing it. Andy could see the tears rising in her eyes. "It's okay, you know, to feel upset about a case. We all get those cases that make us break down."

"Andy, I appreciate your kindness, but I don't need your help." She turned to face him and he looked at her for a long moment.

"You're one of those people, who have a lot of trouble opening up to others, aren't you?" He asked.

"Maybe," she replied, unsure where this was leading.

"And I don't know what you've been through in your life that made you this way, but I just want you to know that I am here for you if you ever want to talk about anything." His voice was soft and she felt a flutter in her stomach that she was trying to push down and bury.

"Thank you," she replied. He smiled at her and brought his hand to her mouth, quickly snatching the cigarette from between her lips and throwing it off the balcony. The lighted end flickered before disappearing somewhere in the darkness.

"This shit is going to kill you," he grinned. "If you really want to pick a bad habit, try biting your nails; or you could engage in a healthy habit to relieve your stress, wrestling, for example."

"Wrestling?" Sharon quirked her eyebrow.

"Yes, I can teach you. Meet me at the gym tomorrow after work, okay?" Before she could reply, he gave her one of his oh-so-charming smiles and walked out of the balcony, showing himself out of her apartment. She stood there for a long moment, touching her lips, where his thumb grazed her when he took the cigarette from her. She could feel her lips involuntary curving up in a cynical and blissfully evil grin as she thought of their meeting at the gym on the next day.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N****: **Sorry for taking forever to update. School took my time, but now I have a little bit more time on my hands to write some more. Reviews are always welcome.

_I would like to thank authorjazmyne for proof reading this chapter. As always, your help was very useful__._

* * *

Lilly was standing by the window, her nose almost touching it and her eyes staring into the distance. She leaned her forehead against the cool glass and took a deep breath as she heard the door opening. She hoped it wasn't the nurse again, who would put her back in bed like a little child and stick something into her drip that would make her sleepy and groggy.

"Lilly," she heard a soft voice behind her. "It's good to see you out of bed." It was that cop-lady, she realized. She wasn't sure what it was that made her like the woman despite the fact that she was a cop. Sharon walked over to her and put a gentle hand on her healthy shoulder. "I brought you some things that you might need." Lilly turned around to look at her. "I brought some comfy clothes, some food, and a little surprise."

"Surprise? Do I look like a child to you?" Lilly's tone was scornful.

"Before anything else, you should eat. The nurse told me that you've been having trouble with the hospital food." Sharon replied softly, ignoring the girl's tone.

"What did you bring?" Lilly's voice was a little hoarse.

"I brought chicken soup that Rusty made last night. The nurse said that you can't eat solid food at the moment." Sharon sighed. Lilly nodded and Sharon pulled out a round plastic container out of one of the bags she brought and put it on Lilly's bedside table. Lilly grabbed it with her healthy hand and tried to remove the lid. "Easy, easy. Let me help you." Sharon removed the lid and put a plastic spoon in it. Lilly's fingers curled around it and brought the liquid to her mouth, not even caring that the soup wasn't warm or that she was spilling it all over herself. Sharon tried to hide a smile; after refusing to eat hospital food for nearly four days, the girl must have been starving. "The nurse said that your fever is down and the infection is healing." Lilly hummed in response as she shoved a spoonful of soup into her mouth. "It's good news. It means that an amputation might not be necessary. You'll still need a surgery and you will have a long recovery, but you won't lose your arm."

"When can I leave the hospital?" Lilly asked.

"It's gonna take a while. The doctors can't operate on you until the infection heals completely. And even after the surgery, you will need help for some time." Sharon explained.

"I'm not going back to foster care." Lilly declared and scraped the bottom of the soup container with the spoon.

"I'm afraid you won't have much choice," Sharon replied, her eyes examining the slender teen. "You can't go back to the streets," her voice was soft.

"It's better than a foster family." There was something very childish in the girl's eyes, but her voice and tone was mature. Sharon didn't know much about life in the street. Rusty didn't talk about his experiences as a homeless boy with her, but she knew that having to take care of themselves made these children grow up faster than they were supposed to.

"Why did you leave your foster family, Lilly?" Sharon wondered.

"I used to get into fights, you know, with their girl. She used to beat me up and then tell her parents that I stole things from her, but that wasn't true. I never took anything from her. And they used to lock me in the closet, so I wouldn't steal anything from them." Lilly's voice was indifferent, but Sharon knew that the tone was masking pain. "On the weekends, they locked me in there and forgot to let me out. I'd spend a couple of days in the closet. And this one weekend, I felt bad and it was getting hard to breathe, so I made noise and…" Lilly paused and sighed. "The mother took me out and started hitting me with a baseball bat." Tears glistened in her eyes. "So that night, when everyone was sleeping, I packed my things and ran away." Sharon let out a barely-audible sigh. "Anyway, I'd rather sleep on a bench in the park than go back to foster care."

"It's not possible for you to go back to the street, but I will do my best to make sure that you will be placed with a foster family that will treat you well," Sharon promised.

"If I have to go to a foster family, then I want to live with you. Rusty said that you are nice to him," Lilly said.

"We'll see about that. In the meantime, do your best to get better. Okay, honey?" She could see the hopeful glint in the girl's eyes and she knew that the girl saw a promise in her words.

"Do you have more food?" Lilly asked.

"I'm sorry, not at the moment. But I'll drop by later and leave some more food with your nurse." Sharon said. "Anyway, if you are interested, the surprise is in here." She pulled out a small paper bag and put it on the bed. Lilly peeped into the bag and then looked at Sharon.

"Nail polish," she declared.

"Yes. Your nails are a little…" Lilly glanced down at the nails of her uninjured hand. Her old nail polish was peeling off and chipped.

"As long as it's not pink," the girl said with a half-defeated tone.

"It's not pink." Sharon took the nail polish out of the bag and Lilly was surprised to find out that it was black, just like the one she had on her nails. "I figured that it would be safe to go with what you already have on your nails." Sharon shrugged and took a nail polish remover and cotton pads out of the paper bag. "Give me your hand," she instructed and felt the girl's small hand landing on her palm.

Sharon wasn't sure how she knew that a 'girl thing' would help her gain Lilly's trust a little more. Lilly's eyes were examining her, looking at her inquisitively. She hoped that once Lilly understood that she was not just another child who's been let down by the system, she would cooperate with the police and give them some information that would help them solve the case. For now, she would let Lilly be and wouldn't bother her with questions about what happened in the warehouse.

"You said that you have clothes for me." Lilly said.

"Yes. I hope they fit." Sharon replied and pulled a green T-shirt and dark track pants from a small backpack she brought with her. Lilly touched the fabric of the shirt.

"It feels very soft," she said and sent her healthy hand to the back of her hospital gown collar, trying to untie the knot that kept it closed.

"May I?" Sharon offered and Lilly nodded slowly. "Turn around." Sharon moved Lilly's hair from her neck and quickly untied her hospital gown. "You need to remove the sling," Sharon said and gently released the Velcro strap that held Lilly's sling in place. As soon as her arm was out of the sling, Lilly could feel the sharp pain and she hissed audibly. "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay." Lilly replied and pulled her arms out of the hospital gown. Sharon helped the girl into the T-shirt and pants, noticing some deep scars in the crook of Lilly's elbow. She hadn't seen many scars like this as part of her job, but she could tell that they were caused by needles and her heart skipped a bit. So many street kids chose to deal with their problems by using drugs and just the thought of it scared her. Lilly stared at her and Sharon could see that terrified look in the girl's eyes. "I'm sorry," Lilly's voice was barely audible. Once people found out that she was an addict, they never looked at her the same way. Sharon had a million answers at the end of her tongue, but instead she just gave Lilly a little nod and smiled.

"This color looks good on you." She put Lilly's hand back in the sling, tightening the Velcro strap on the girl's shoulder again.

"I don't do this anymore. Heroin, I mean. I stopped a while ago."

"Did you?" Sharon had a hard time believing it.

"I met this guy; he said he would help me out if I stopped using. He took me to his house and locked me in this room for I-don't-know how long; felt like a few weeks. I think he called it detox. Brought me food and water twice a day. He used to come into my room every night and read me these bible stories, said I was a sinner and there's a place for me in Hell. But if I quit drugs and followed him, I could be saved. He said there's salvation for me." Sharon had some questions about this man, but she decided to leave it for now. "Rusty said you're catholic, right?" Sharon hummed in reply. "Do you think I'm going to Hell?"

"No, Lilly. You are not going to Hell. Everyone makes bad choices from time to time. It sounds like you're trying to change your ways, so I think you'll be fine eventually."

"Can you take me outside, like yesterday?" Lilly asked, changing the subject abruptly.

"No, honey. I have to go to work, but I'll try to come and sit with you for a while in the evening." Sharon promised.

"Can you bring Rusty with you? He promised to teach me how to play chess."

"If he doesn't have any homework, I'll bring him along." Sharon promised. Lilly nodded slowly and Sharon patted her healthy shoulder and gave her a comforting smile before leaving the room.

* * *

Andy's body landed on the rubber mat with a loud thud that was followed by his deep groan. Sharon grinned and reached her hand out to him, to help him up. She really didn't need him to teach her how to wrestle. She used to teach self defense classes in the academy before she moved to FID, but she enjoyed Andy's company and his offer to wrestle with her was just too tempting to pass. Besides, he was right about using sports in order to channel her negative feelings. Andy grabbed her hand and pulled himself up.

"You're letting me win?" she teased him, even though she knew that he was not.

"What can I say? I'm a gentleman," he grinned. They got into positions in front of each other and Sharon gave him a toothy smile before leaping forward and tackling him. He slid his foot under her calf and brought her down with him. They heard a cracking sound as they hit the rubber mat. "Was that you or me?" he wondered as he sat up.

"That was me." Sharon bent her knee slowly, hissing in pain. She rolled the sleeve of her yoga pants up, above her knee. "Great, that's gonna make one hell of a bruise."

"I'm sorry, Captain," Andy said and offered his hand for her.

"Don't be. That was a great move, Andy. Good to know that you're still in shape," she grinned and he helped her up. "But I still won the match."

"Then I guess I owe you dinner," Andy smiled.

"Yeah, but I think we better hit the showers first," Sharon smiled back at him.

"Are you gonna be able to walk?"

"Oh, come on. Do you think a bruised knee could ever stop me?" She gave him a look full of attitude and he couldn't help but chuckle. It was nice to discover that his captain could be playful and funny.

"I'll meet you outside in... 30 minutes?" He asked and Sharon nodded slowly before limping towards the women's locker room.

* * *

Andy paid for their dinner at an Italian restaurant that was owned by one of his friends and then offered Sharon help with her jacket. He thought she was beautiful, especially since she looked so relaxed and carefree. It seemed that the time they spent together after work brought out a side of her he'd never seen before.

"Hey, what do you say about taking a walk before I drive you home?" he asked as they went out of the restaurant. Sharon threw a glance at her watch; it was still early and her knee was not hurting too bad for a walk.

"Sure, why not?" she smiled and Andy offered her his arm.

"You know, I have to say, it's nice to see you smiling," he said and the honesty in his voice almost melted her heart into a puddle. "You've been worried a lot lately." She nodded slowly and slid her arm out of his, pushing her palm into the pocket of her jeans.

"Is this a pity thing, lieutenant?" Sharon wondered. She wasn't used to officers being so nice to her, inviting her to a wrestling match at the gym and taking her out to dinner. She was used to a lot of anger and resentment being directed towards her.

"What do you mean?" Andy stopped walking and turned to face her.

"I mean, 'Oh, poor Captain Raydor is having a hard time with a case. Let's take her out and make sure she has some fun time so we can all feel better about ourselves' thing. Is this what this whole evening is about?" She wasn't angry, but it was hard for her to grasp why someone from work would want to spend time with her outside of work.

"No, not really." Andy had a good idea why his captain would think this and he was not sure that he could convince her that she was wrong about it. If he was truly honest with himself, he did pity her a little. He could only imagine how hard it could be coming from a purely bureaucratic job into actual field work. Things always looked better in theory than in reality. "It probably looks this way because of everything that's been going on, but I really thought that we could bond outside of work. It could help us work better together, you know. And I felt bad for pissing you off this week."

"A-Ha!" Sharon rebuked and resumed her walking.

"I had good intentions." Andy followed her, surprised by how fast she could walk. "I'm sorry if you are offended." He caught up with her and stopped her again. "I am."

"You know, I found out today that Lilly is a drug addict," she changed the subject. It took Andy a moment to realize that it was the captain's way to say that she wasn't angry with him, but would not continue to discuss her feelings about their professional or outside-of-work relationship with him.

"I wouldn't be surprised," he said. "So many of these homeless kids start using." He was aware of the fact that his captain was probably a little naïve about what happened to homeless teens in the streets of LA.

"The thing is, she says she doesn't do drugs anymore. I looked at her chart and she didn't have any drugs in her system when she was brought in."

"Sharon," he said softly. "Don't fool yourself just because you want to help her. She can say that she doesn't do drugs, but she probably does."

"She doesn't look high or seem to have any withdrawal symptoms," Sharon insisted.

"They are probably pumping so much morphine into her that it has the same effect." Andy argued.

"I don't think so," Sharon replied and he could see the contemplative look in her eyes.

"Oh, no; you're one of those, aren't you?" Andy let out an amused sigh.

"One of what?"

"One of those people who believe that everyone can change their ways," he explained.

"God, no! I know that not everyone is capable of changing, lieutenant." Sharon said, "I just said that I think Lilly is telling the truth."

"I know you want to help her, but maybe you need to keep some professional distance, you know." Andy suggested.

"No, listen. She said this guy put her through detox and then tried to impose his religious agenda upon her." Sharon explained.

"So, what? She could have gotten high as soon as she got out of there."

"No, I don't think so. I don't think she got out of there at all," Sharon said.

"What are you saying, Captain?" Andy wondered, trying to follow his captain's train of thought.

"I am saying that we need to find this man because at this moment, he is our main suspect in the murder of five girls and the attempted murder of one." Andy could feel a chill going down his spine as the words came out of the captain's mouth. If she was right, and she usually was, there was a serial killer on the loose in the streets of LA, looking for his next victim.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N****:** I'm sorry it took me so long to update with the next chapter. I was (and still am) very busy with schoolwork and it takes most of my time. This is a short chapter, but I hope you'll enjoy it.

* * *

The drive back to Sharon's apartment building was rather quiet; Sharon and Andy glanced at each other every few minutes, but none of them dared to speak. Each of them was encompassed with their own thoughts and sharing them with each other felt too intimate, even more intimate than having to see each other naked in the shower.

"You know that you would have to ask her some hard questions eventually, don't you?" Andy broke the silence.

"I know." Sharon replied. She knew he was right, but she couldn't bring herself to think about having to be a cop with Lilly. It seemed like this girl has been through so much and all she wanted was to protect her.

"She doesn't see you as a cop anymore; she sees beyond that." Andy indicated. Sharon had that effect on children, apparently. While other people just felt sorry for kids like Rusty and Lilly, Sharon actually did something about their situation. She was that way with adults too and this was something that Andy appreciated about her. When she made a promise, she never backed on it.

"This makes it so much harder," she replied, her voice low and sad. "She wants me to take her in, because Rusty told her I'm a nice foster parent."

"Are you going to do that?" Andy wondered. He knew that Rusty's presence complicated her life. He could only imagine how much more complicated her life would be if she took in another abused child.

"I don't know. I don't have room for her. She can't share a room with Rusty and I can't put her on the couch," Andy easily detected the painful undertone of her voice. He noticed it before; her voice usually became thicker as if to mask for the pain.

"You know, given where she came from, she might be eternally grateful even if you let her sleep on the floor."

"I can only take her in temporarily. Maybe I'll be able to find a nice family from Rusty's school who would want to give her a home." Sharon said, as if to herself.

"Maybe you could put her in a convent." Andy joked, hoping that it will help easing the tension. From the corner of his eye he could see a small smile forming on her lips.

"When I was Lilly's age, my parents used to joke that if I misbehave they'll put me in a convent," she grinned.

"Did it work?" Andy chuckled.

"I'm not a nun, am I?" Sharon replied and Andy was glad that her mood improved.

"I'm sure you would make a very good nun, but it's hard for me to believe that Armani make coifs." Andy joked and was happy to see the smile spreading across Sharon's face. He pulled over in front of her building and went out of the car before she even undid her seatbelt. He opened the door for her and reached out for her hand, as she went out.

"So eager to get rid of me, lieutenant?" She teased him.

"It's late, so I'm gonna walk you to the door, if you don't mind," he smiled at her and Sharon noticed that it was not his usual boyish grin, but a soft and affectionate smile.

"Thank you, Andy." She entwined her arm with his and they walked into the building. He slid his hand down and laced his fingers with hers as they stood and waited for the elevator to reach the lobby. She didn't show any objection and he felt his heart fluttering a little bit inside his chest. He tightened his fingers around hers and felt her shoulder pressing against his ever so slightly. He turned his head and smiled at her when he heard a ding and the elevator doors opened. They walked in together and Sharon rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb.

"You haven't pressed the button," Andy said and noticed the rosy color that spread across her face. He leaned forward and pressed the button, then turned to her. "It happens to me all the time."

"Don't you live in a duplex?" she wondered.

"Yes, that's why I keep forgetting to push the elevator buttons all the time," he grinned and she let out a soft giggle. The ride to the 11th floor was faster than they expected and he walked her down the hall and to the door of her condo. She fished the keys out of her purse and turned to him.

"Andy, thank you for…" her voice faltered as she noticed the look in his eyes. She didn't need any explanation to what it meant and before she could wonder how it was even possible that she hadn't notice it earlier, she felt his arm coming around her waist and gently pulling her towards him. She closed her eyes and her lips spread open as he leaned down and captured them between his. His mouth was warm and his lips were soft. She brought her hand to the back of his neck and her fingers caressed it slowly and then climbed upwards to his salt and pepper hair. The touch of his tongue against hers sent currents through her nerves and she wasn't sure if it was helping her relax or making her excited. Her mind suddenly went blank; not a single thought passed through it, and she felt as if she was in a trance. It did not affect her body, which seemed to be quite independent, allowing her to kiss him back eagerly. A faint moan escaped her lips as they parted, their eyes slowly fluttering open and their gazes lingering on each other for a moment.

"Good night, Sharon," Andy said, his voice low. He pressed his lips against hers for a quick kiss and squeezed her hand, before his fingers unwillingly released their hold of her hers.

"Night, Andy," she said, her voice shaky. He gave her a quick and slightly overwhelmed nod and walked down the hall. Her eyes followed him until he went out of her sight and she smiled to herself like an idiot before turning to unlock her door.

Once inside her condo, Sharon shut the door behind her and leaned against it, closing her eyes and bringing her front teeth to bite her bottom lip, trying to gain her breath. When she was sure that her legs could carry her weight, she walked to her room, feeling her body light and airy as a cloud. She went through her evening routine faster than usual and then let her body drop onto her bed, feeling as if she was floating even after her back touched the mattress. She reached out for her bedside lamp to turn it off and closed her eyes, letting out a content sigh and falling asleep almost immediately.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N****: Just thought I should note that I started writing this story before Jackson was introduced (or even named). For the sake of continuity, I am leaving the name I gave Sharon's husband and his backstory in the beginning of this fan fiction. So basically, this is an AU fic now. **

_** **Many thanks to the lovely Amy for proof reading this story and also for suggesting some really great ideas****_

* * *

Sharon limped towards the kitchen, where Rusty was mixing eggs for breakfast. He looked at her suspiciously as he noticed the dark bruise that formed on her swollen knee. He opened the freezer, grabbed the ice pack and handed it to her. She took it and thanked him.

"How did it happen?" he wondered.

"A wrestling match," Sharon shrugged.

"What do you mean a wrestling match? Were you attacked or something like that?" Sharon was genuinely touched by the worried gaze in his eyes. She put her arm on his shoulder and shook her head.

"No. It was at the gym. My opponent made this really smart move and I fell. I lost the round." Sharon explained and scrunched her nose. "It's just a bruise. You don't need to worry about me, Rusty."

"Of course I do. That's what we do, right? We worry about each other," Rusty exclaimed and poured the egg mixture into the large frying pan.

"No, Rusty. We live in the same household and we care for each other," she corrected him and wondered where he got the idea that he had to worry about her. It was true that she worried about him and his wellbeing often; he was, after all, an abandoned child with a difficult past. But she couldn't see any reason for him to worry about her.

"Well, I worry about you sometimes." Rusty admitted and his blue eyes examined her reaction.

"Why?" Sharon knew this was a good opportunity for a heart-to-heart conversation and it was a rare one too.

"Because you always worry about other people, and there doesn't seem to be anyone who worries about you," Rusty explained.

"That is very sweet of you, Rusty," Sharon smiled at him. She knew that he had nothing to worry about when it came to her, but it seemed that he found comfort in caring for her happiness and she would not deny him of that feeling.

"So… You came back pretty late last night."

"Yes, Lieutenant Flynn and I went out for dinner after the gym," Sharon explained. "If I knew that you were awake, I would have knocked on your door and said good night."

"It's okay," Rusty shrugged. He pulled Sharon's favorite mug out of the cupboard, poured coffee into it and then handed it to her. Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door. Rusty and Sharon looked at each other, both of them slightly surprised by the interruption. Eventually, Sharon shrugged and walked over to open the door. Andy stood there, a boyish smile on his face.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said and leaned to capture her lips. Conscious of the fact that only a thin wall separated them from Rusty's eyes, Sharon placed her palm on his chest and pulled away. Still close to him, she looked into his eyes and Andy let himself delve into the depth of her green orbs.

"Sharon, who is it?" Rusty's voice quickly brought both of them to their senses. Andy smiled at her and took a step back. She forced her lips to curve upwards in a shy smile, hoping that he was not insulted by her rejection.

"It's An… Lieutenant Flynn," she said. "What are you doing here?" she asked Andy in half a whisper.

"I thought you'd want your car back," Andy said as he pulled Sharon's car keys from his pocket. She took them and gave him half a nod, her mouth unable to utter anything longer than a quick 'thank you'.

"Is he staying for breakfast?" Rusty came around the corner and Sharon quickly pulled away from Andy.

"I don't… Lieutenant, would you like to eat breakfast with us?" she asked in the most official tone she could muster.

"Only if you don't mind it, Captain," he replied and his voice and eyes were soft, comforting.

"Of course I don't." Sharon shrugged.

"Then I better make myself helpful," Andy took his leather jacket off and threw it on the couch. He walked into the kitchen and patted Rusty's shoulder. "I know how to make the best waffles in the world." Sharon smiled at his words. The lieutenant always bragged about his cooking skills.

"Really, in the entire world?" Rusty asked in disbelief.

"In LA," Andy replied with a grin. Sharon grabbed her cup of coffee from the kitchen counter and watched them, enjoying their interactions. Both of them moved elegantly in the kitchen and Sharon's stomach started tingling when the sweet smell of fresh omelets and waffles spread throughout her kitchen and living room.

Rusty set the table and insisted that she sit and finish drinking her coffee. He then made sure that she kept the ice pack on her knee. She bent forward in order to rub the side of his arm, but he quickly went back to the kitchen. Most of the time, Sharon found it hard to show him how much she cared for him and how touched she was by all the small thoughtful things he did for her. It was not something she did deliberately, but out of respect for his personal space. On the rare occasions that she felt valiant enough to attempt caressing his arm or back affectionately, he would flinch and get out of her reach as fast as she could. He would never know how painful it was for her to see him pulling away from her this way; and she wouldn't tell him, because then he might compromise on his level of comfort to make her feel better about it. _His body – his choice_, she told herself.

"Sharon, are you okay?" She heard Andy's voice. She smiled at him, and shrugged.

"I was just thinking. Did you say anything?"

"I asked if you want more coffee," Andy replied.

"No, thank you. I'm fine. Is breakfast ready?" she inhaled deeply, the delicious smell making her mouth water.

"Almost," Rusty replied. She let out a low moan, feeling her stomach fluttering a bit too noisily. Emptying her mug into her mouth, she savored the extreme bitterness of her coffee on her tongue. It erased the taste of Andy's mouth. The bitterness however, lingered and she set the mug down on the table and took in a shaky breath. She had never felt so confused in her life. A week ago, she was mourning the death of her marriage and now she was kissing her lieutenant. Something seemed so utterly wrong with such a swift transition and it filled her chest with a feeling she could barely identify, like a heavy and painful pinch.

"Breakfast is ready," Rusty called out happily and placed a plate with a thick slice of a fluffy omelet and waffle in front of her. Rusty took his usual place by the table and Andy took the seat in front of Sharon.

"So what are your plans for today?" Andy asked.

"I was thinking we go to the hospital to visit Lilly. There are some questions I need to ask her and maybe afterwards, we could try to convince the nurse to take her out of the hospital for an hour. A change of scenery and some fresh air might be good for her," Sharon said.

"Can I come too?' Rusty asked. Sharon gave him a little nod.

* * *

The head nurse stopped them as they were about to walk to Lilly's room and Andy pulled out his badge. The nurse shook her head and sighed.

"Didn't anybody call you?" she asked, looking at Sharon.

"Call me about what? What happened?" Sharon asked, an uncomfortable feeling spreading throughout her body.

"Her condition is unstable. No one goes into that room except for medical staff," the nurse explained.

"What do you mean? I thought she was improving. She was fine yesterday," Sharon tried to hide her distress.

"The infection became worse. She had trouble breathing. The doctors had to intubate her," the nurse replied.

"Can I please see her? I won't go in; I'll just stand in the doorway for a minute, please," Sharon begged. The nurse shrugged and opened the door to Lilly's room. Sharon stepped forward and looked into the room. Lilly was lying in bed, a tube in her mouth, looking extremely pale and small in the big bad *(bed)*. Her injured shoulder was bare and the sling was gone. Instead, her arms were tied to the bed rail.

"She was fighting the oxygen, so they had to tie her hands down. It's a normal procedure in cases like this," the nurse explained.

"Is she going to be okay?" Rusty asked, his head peeking behind Sharon's shoulder.

"It's hard to say," the nurse said. "We've seen people recovering from incredibly grim medical conditions and people whose health seemed to be perfect and were gone within hours." Rusty looked at Sharon and could see the almost invisible shudder that went through her body. That was all the indication he needed to see how deeply scared she was for Lilly's fate. She took a deep breath and moved from the doorway. The nurse closed the door behind her. "Listen, if you leave me your phone number, I'll update you on changes in her condition,"

"Okay, thank you," Sharon sighed and handed the nurse her business card.

"And for what it's worth, this girl is lucky to have someone like you who cares for her," the nurse added.

* * *

Rusty didn't like silence; it always made him think and over-analyze situations. And silence was heavy around them as they drove back to the apartment. He wished that Flynn was in the car with them, but Sharon insisted that the lieutenant had things to do and sent him home in his own car.

Earlier today, he looked forward to spending some time with Lilly. He's never had any friends who would understand what he's been through as a street treat. He would give anything in the world to feel someone identified with him. Now the situation seemed hopeless.

"I'm sorry," he said and looked at Sharon. He knew that she wasn't letting on how upset she was by the turn of events.

"Sorry about what?" she asked, turning to meet his gaze for just a moment before looking back at the road again.

"I'm sorry things happened the way they did," Rusty replied, "That you're sad recently."

"Rusty, I'm not sad. I'm perfectly fine," Sharon replied.

"That's not true. You have been really sad even before we met Lilly. Did something happen when I was away with my class? Is everything okay with your kids?" By the way Sharon took a deep breath he knew that he was close to the truth.

"Nothing much, really; my husband and I are getting a divorce," she replied dryly, looking at the road.

"I'm sorry," he repeated his words from earlier. "Did you not want that?"

"I did," Sharon said, her voice dropping down a notch.

"And now you don't want it anymore?" Rusty asked.

"He already signed the papers," Sharon sighed.

"So you're already divorced?"

"No," Sharon replied, her sight of the road suddenly clouded by a shroud of tears that gathered in her eyes. She tried to blink them away but it was a futile attempt. "I still have to sign."

"I don't understand," Rusty said, looking at her, hoping that she would look back at him, so he could see her thoughts reflecting in her eyes.

"Rusty, sometimes you think that you really want something, and then when you have it, you don't want it anymore." Her voice sounded tired and defeated in Rusty's ears. He wasn't sure what her words meant exactly. He never met her husband before and he didn't even know his name. But he knew that they hadn't lived together in a very long time. How was it even possible that she would want to stay attached to someone who wasn't even present in her life?

"So does it mean that you don't want to divorce him anymore?" he asked.

"Not necessarily. It means that I need to reconsider my decision. Unfortunately, there are things that are much more important at the moment and I will have to put this aside for a while."


End file.
